My Varjo Aero Review

[dburne]

Varjo Aero Review after 1 week:

I received my new Aero on Wed. Jan 26th. This after a short Customs delay at Fed Ex in Memphis TN. Several of us in this shipment had this delay – Fed Ex wanted more information, so we had to fill out a form and submit to them. Only delayed my shipment by a couple of days but it was irritating trying to find out what needed to be done and the proper form to get and fil out. Hopefully future shipments to the U.S. Varjo will provide all the required information on their end. Crazy thing is not all shipments had this happen but certainly several of us did.

Prior to my installing the Aero software, I did a thorough cleaning out of all my VR stuff. Windows Mixed Reality, WMR for Steam VR, Vive Console, and yes – even Steam VR. When cleaning out Steam VR I used this method: https://steamcommunity.com/app/250820/discussions/2/1640917625015598552/ In addition once that was all done I went into all my appdata folders and deleting all files related to VR. I believe this cleaning out process helped in my having a good experience from the getgo.

The headset came packaged very nicely, and installation was a breeze. Downloaded and installed the Varjo Base along with fresh install of Steam VR. I already had the Lighthouse 2.0 tracking system and controllers that had come with my Index, so those were already set up and ready to go.

Headset: I have found it to be quite comfortable. Way more comfortable than my Index, and probably pretty close to the comfort of the Reverb G2. Headset is slightly heavier than the G2 but not what I would consider heavy. I love the straps on this thing and how it mounts, takes a bit to get it just right but man when it is OMG that sweetspot is just all over. I would say it is around 85-90% pf the image.

When first putting headset on you are greeted by a poof of fresh air on your face. This is the internal fan blowing gently on your face. After the initial poof of air I felt, I really did not notice it any more while gaming. It does help keep things nice and cool in the headset. I am not aware of any way to turn it off. I expect it might bother some people but I think most it will not.

Then you are greeted with gazing at a dot. This sets the eye tracking and IPD for you. One can manually enter an IPD value, but still have to gaze at the dot. Some might get annoyed by this. I view it as a pretty minor annoyance myself and kind of like knowing my IPD is set accurately every time.  I do find the headset quite comfortable and have no problem wearing it for extended periods.

And now – the image. The image clarity is truly unsurpassed, it is incredible. Sharp as  a tack across the entire sweet spot. I can hold my  head still and just gaze all around at the cockpit and be able to read everything quite clearly. Sweet Spot I would say is between 85-90% of the image.  And the cockpits are just gorgeous. In fact at first I found myself gazing too much at them and losing some situational awareness lol. Now for the other part – the scenery. Yes the scenery detail is very nice and sharp. However, as with other headsets the scenery does degrade some the further out it is. But no where near as it does with other headsets. Shimmering – I still see just a slight shimmering off in the distance, but again no where nears as much as in previous headsets. Plus with the Aero I am not running any MSAA or AA of any kind. IMHO it is just not needed.

Performance – here was the surprise. I am running at a Steam VR resolution of 130%. This is with the Aero default setting of High. This gives me 3580x3068 per eye. Aero currently has no support for Motion Compensation/Reprojection. Varjo has stated it is coming. I will tell you though I find I do not need it. As long as my fps runs at 45 or higher I get a very smooth experience. Maybe occasional fine stutters when really low but hardly noticeable. Coming from both Reverb G2 and Vive Pro 2, I actually get the same if not a little better performance with the Aero at better resolution and gorgeous clarity.  I could not have been more pleased with this aspect as I was so concerned about if I could even run the thing with acceptable performance. I tell you if you can run either the Reverb G2 or Vive Pro 2 with decent performance you will be ok with the Aero. I will also state I changed my VR pre-rendered frames in Nvidia Control Panel from the default of 1 to 2. This seemed to help smooth things out also.

Distortion – none that I see really in IL-2. DCS does have some and currently requires one use the provided Debug Tool by DCS to flip top and bottom of each lens. Menus still have some distortion but flying does not. I understand the next Open Beta update of DCS will have a fix for this.

I have many hours in now with both DCS and IL-2 Great Battles and am very happy with this headset.

Now for the cons, yes even a 2k dollar  plus headset has some cons:

FOV: Small. Vertical FOV is really small. When headset is position correctly for optimal image/sweet spot, it sits kind of low. In fact when putting on headset you will get down arrows to tell you it needs to sit lower.  The vertical FOV is practically not existent. To look up you will need to move your head up. Now looking down at say your instruments is golden. Not only can you see them clearly but moving eyes left and right you can see all of them clearly without even moving your head. Horizontal FOV is better. Varjo lists it as app 115 degrees. IL-2 reports it as 88 degrees. Here is the thing – it appears to be decent. However I think probably because the vertical is so much smaller it gives the illusion of a larger horizontal FOV.  I myself am much more about quality of image than I am about having a larger FOV. So for me the Aero is just fine, I have no problem with the FOV. If one is more about a larger FOV than say the quality of the image, they will likely be disappointed with the Aero FOV. But man oh man, that image is just so sharp.

Sharpness outside the cockpit – yes it is better at a distance than any of my previous headsets, but still not what I would say perfect. You will still see some blurriness, and a small amount of shimmering depending on your settings.  But again certainly better than I have ever seen. Spotting and target ID – I am not going to be any help on this one – I would imagine it is better but can not really say how much. I do single player only and toggle icons on and off.  I have no shame.

Audio – Aero includes earbuds with mic to plug into the headsets 3.5mm audio port. I did not like it, too tinny. However I have never liked any of my headsets built in audio, always choosing rather extended earbuds plugged into my Creative audio jack on my motherboard. So for good audio you will also need to supply your own. I user Razer Hammerhead earbuds plugged into my Creative sound and love them. For mic I just have an inexpensive desktop Mic. This setup works just fine for me.

Tracking: Aero also does not come with tracking system, you will need to provide that. I already had Lighthouse 2.0 system that came with my Index, and it works great with the Aero. Vive Trackers will work also. Considerable additional expense on top of an already expensive headset.

So to sum it up: Aero is an incredible headset and for me the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I am absolutely thrilled that I have it. I already have many hours in with it in the week that I have had it, and undoubtedly will be many more. I am retired and able to spend quite a lot of time with my flight sim hobby so I feel I will get my money’s worth out of this headset. I just don’t see anything that will come close in the near future. Plus it already has eye tracking and foveated rendering should any games begin to support that, it will be ready. Is it with worth 2K dollars plus? Man that would be very hard to say, and likely dependent on the individual and their circumstances along with how much they would use it. It is quite a lot of money, I can only say for me after a week of heavy use I have no regrets so far in spending the money for it. And I am sure Varjo will make it even better as times moves on. IMHO this is frankly a whole new level of VR for me.

I will also say I have been impressed by what I see from Varjo support. I have seen a handful of new users with technical issues due to possible defect in their new headset, Varjo has been quick to respond and their policy seems to be once confirmed they expedite a new headset out and only ask return of the original upon receiving the new headset.  That is pretty impressive as it should be for a headset this expensive.

I hope this information helps anyone currently considering the new Aero and whether they want to invest that much into a VR headset. I feel very confident this will be my daily VR driver now for all the games that I play and will be for quite some time. Will see how it does in the longevity department but I am expecting that not to be a problem - hopefully.

Edited March 2, 2022 by dburne

[Supmua]

Good review, Don. I agree with your findings and will be off loading my Vive Pro 2 to a good friend.

The only thing I don’t like is lack of motion smoothing. But this is exactly like the VP2 when it first came out and we know that this feature will be in.

Let’s just say that I most likely won’t touch my other headsets again except for the Quest 2 (only for exclusive Oculus VR titles or wireless VR)

[ShaunX]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

 

[Burt]

Thanks Don for sharing I’m so interested in this headset. Is there any need for prescription lenses with the Varjo you think? I got them for my G2 to help with clarity issues. 
 

Thanks !

[dburne]

1 hour ago, Burt said:

Thanks Don for sharing I’m so interested in this headset. Is there any need for prescription lenses with the Varjo you think? I got them for my G2 to help with clarity issues. 
 

Thanks !

Not on my end. I need over the counter reading glasses to be able to read up close, but have no problem reading all the instruments in the Aero without them. 

[SkipCarey]

is there enough room for glasses in the Aero?

[Supmua]

52 minutes ago, SkipCarey said:

is there enough room for glasses in the Aero?

About the same as the Valve Index but not as good as the Vive Pro/2.  I wear wide frame glasses and had to squeeze them in, so I'm mostly wearing my contact lens for now until I can get a hold of some lens inserts.  The potential issue is that the lens seem easy to scratch, so have to be careful and gentle with the device if you wear glasses.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Supmua

[dburne]

I have also ordered a Comfort Kit for my Aero.

https://www.studioformcreative.com/product-page/varjo-vr-3-xr-3-counter-balance-comfort-kit-200-gram-7oz

I personally find the Aero to be comfortable, however considering all the hours I put in each week if this makes it even more comfortable I will be pleased. I should have it in around 4-5 days and will advise how it does for me.

[Supmua]

I have also ordered a Comfort Kit for my Aero.
https://www.studioformcreative.com/product-page/varjo-vr-3-xr-3-counter-balance-comfort-kit-200-gram-7oz
I personally find the Aero to be comfortable, however considering all the hours I put in each week if this makes it even more comfortable I will be pleased. I should have it in around 4-5 days and will advise how it does for me.

Been using this since day 1 (pulled from my Vive Pro 2), must have if you care about comfort. The sweetspot on the Varjo is not easy to get to in my case, but the strap helps immensely.

[dburne]

1 hour ago, Supmua said:

Been using this since day 1 (pulled from my Vive Pro 2), must have if you care about comfort. The sweetspot on the Varjo is not easy to get to in my case, but the strap helps immensely.

 

Good to know thanks!!

[dburne]

Well I have gone back and settled on the default High setting for Varjo Base, and currently using the default Steam VR resolution of 150%, 3844x3296 per eye. No AA. Will see how good this does over the next few days.

In other news I received my Studioform Counter Weights and Strap late yesterday and ended up flying with it most of the day today. My first thought after attaching them and lifting headset over my head was wow this certainly added some weight. Once I got it adjusted for my head though it turned out to be pretty nice. No I am not going to tell new Aero owners to run out and get this as it is a must have because it is certainly not. I will say after using it several hours today it does seem to make an already fairly comfortable headset even more comfortable. It is balanced better - previously was a little front heavy. And I did not have any discomfort from flying all day with it today. So I will likely leave it attached. Having that top strap helps also.

I would suggest to any new owners if you are bothered by how it feels front heavy then might be worth picking one of these up to balance it out. Or if you are a do it yourself kind of guy there is always that as well. Or leave it as is cause it ain't bad either.

As far as the headset goes after using a good solid 2+ weeks, I am still quite happy with mine. I would say probably it's two main weaknesses in my opinion would be the FOV especially the vertical. Nothing they can do about that currently. Also has some chromatic aberration at certain angles, maybe they will be able to improve that with future software updates. I know they are aware of it. Not enough to really bother me but now that I am used to it starting to notice it some more.

 

[Phantom88]

Awesome!!! I really appreciate your open and honest review,this will help many of us “Virtual DCS Pilots” plan ahead for a next generation HMD.

[dburne]

New more detailed instructions from Varjo for proper fitment of their headsets. I can attest takes a little time initially to get it for maximum sweet spot but once you know about where that is it is pretty easy.

https://varjo.com/vr-lab/optimal-vr-or-xr-headset-positioning/

 

[dburne]

Something new Aero users need to be aware of.

If you are starting Varjo Base software and happen to be logged into Steam - then Varjo Base starts Steam VR automatically - in the background.

What I mean is you will not have the tray icon showing Steam VR running but it is. If you try to launch Steam VR in this case, you will get an error message.

This has thrown a few new users off. 

If you launch Varjo Base and are not logged into Steam, it does not do that - you can then launch Steam VR as you normally would. I have a shortcut to vrstartup.exe from the Steam folder on my desktop which works great.

[Supmua]

They should’ve done it like Vive, launch both SteamVR framework and its GUI instead of just framework in the background. 

[dburne]

1 hour ago, Supmua said:

They should’ve done it like Vive, launch both SteamVR framework and its GUI instead of just framework in the background. 

 

Yeah that would have been nice as then it would be obvious it is running.

[dburne]

Slight addendum to my original review.

I had mentioned I had to wear the headset pretty low for maximum clarity in sweet spot.Turns out this was not the case - I use reading glasses and gave the Aero a try with them on - and voila! The heart of the display turned into crystal clear image.Historically I have not had to use my reading glasses in a VR headset. But I am older now and guess my vision getting worse now.

Since these are just over the counter reading glasses I am going to go to eye doc and get a prescription, and order some lens inserts from VR Opticians for my Aero. I should be golden then. While I am real careful when putting headset on with my readers on, the thought of scratching a lens on this one terrifies me lol. But yeah now I wear the headset pretty much centered as it should be.

[Supmua]

Don, check out the latest beta of OpenXR Toolkit.  A true game changer for VR for MSFS or any OpenXR apps, can u imagine getting 60 fps with 70% rendering on the Aero?  You can now with Fixed Foveated Rendering option, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the number.  I settled for 45 fps at 85% rendering with some visual effects on medium.  You can also change brightness/contrast/saturation to correct overexposure.  Imagine having this working in DCS, this would actually allow supersampling instead of downsampling on the Aero.

[dburne]

52 minutes ago, Supmua said:

Don, check out the latest beta of OpenXR Toolkit.  A true game changer for VR for MSFS or any OpenXR apps, can u imagine getting 60 fps with 70% rendering on the Aero?  You can now with Fixed Foveated Rendering option, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the number.  I settled for 45 fps at 85% rendering with some visual effects on medium.  You can also change brightness/contrast/saturation to correct overexposure.  Imagine having this working in DCS, this would actually allow supersampling instead of downsampling on the Aero.

I have been reading about it off and on but have never really delved into it. Will check it out. I am actually fairly pleased with the performance I am getting with the Aero in MSFS 2020 already using Open XR in Varjo Base.

Of the three flight sims I run though MSFS 2020 gets the least amount of time.

 

Thanks,

Edited March 5, 2022 by dburne

[Badger633]

On 3/3/2022 at 12:42 PM, dburne said:

Slight addendum to my original review.

I had mentioned I had to wear the headset pretty low for maximum clarity in sweet spot.Turns out this was not the case - I use reading glasses and gave the Aero a try with them on - and voila! The heart of the display turned into crystal clear image.Historically I have not had to use my reading glasses in a VR headset. But I am older now and guess my vision getting worse now.

Since these are just over the counter reading glasses I am going to go to eye doc and get a prescription, and order some lens inserts from VR Opticians for my Aero. I should be golden then. While I am real careful when putting headset on with my readers on, the thought of scratching a lens on this one terrifies me lol. But yeah now I wear the headset pretty much centered as it should be.

Hi

Was a bit surprised to hear that your reading glasses were such a big improvement. I am only slightly short sighted and use lens inserts on the Index to get the best it can offer. Normally with VR headsets it is the long distance prescription you use as that is what they ask for. I need reading glasses as well big time but with the normal long distance prescription used by the VR lens companies all is good no matter where I look in the headset. Had lenses in the oculus as well same thing.

I suppose what I am asking is are you sure it’s the reading glasses that are doing the trick or is it just glasses. 

Still on the fence regarding the Varjo Aero at the moment as really like a smooth experience. Using 32gig Strix3090 and I9 overclocked to 5ghz. Hoping the Varjo motion smoothing will come soon.
 

Cheers

Badger633

[dburne]

Well only thing I am sure of is the slight out of focus look I was getting in the heart of the display completely went away and was sharp as a tack once I tried with my reading glasses. So yeah pretty sure that is it.  Without them I have to move headset up or down a little to get it to be sharp.

Hope to get in soon to see eye doc and get a prescription then get some lens inserts for the Aero. Wearing the readers makes a big difference but makes me nervous about accidentally scratching a lens.

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by dburne

[Badger633]

On 3/5/2022 at 12:49 PM, dburne said:

Well only thing I am sure of is the slight out of focus look I was getting in the heart of the display completely went away and was sharp as a tack once I tried with my reading glasses. So yeah pretty sure that is it.  Without them I have to move headset up or down a little to get it to be sharp.

Hope to get in soon to see eye doc and get a prescription then get some lens inserts for the Aero. Wearing the readers makes a big difference but makes me nervous about accidentally scratching a lens.

 

 

Let me know where you get the inserts from please. Some have said the inserts could be a problem due to the automatic IPD system.

cheers

[dburne]

23 minutes ago, Badger633 said:

Let me know where you get the inserts from please. Some have said the inserts could be a problem due to the automatic IPD system.

cheers

Will do. I hope to get into an optics store next week and get my numbers for what I need. Soon as I have that will be placing an order with VR Optician. My readers I have do well in the headset but I am terrified I will end up scratching a lens with them. So I am just using without for now.

[dburne]

There apparently is now a reseller of the Aero in the U.S.

https://channelxr.com/

Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about them so if looking do due diligence in checking them out.

[Badger633]

On 3/6/2022 at 3:16 PM, dburne said:

Will do. I hope to get into an optics store next week and get my numbers for what I need. Soon as I have that will be placing an order with VR Optician. My readers I have do well in the headset but I am terrified I will end up scratching a lens with them. So I am just using without for now.

Looks like you can get the lenses for the Varjo now.
https://vroptician.com/prescription-lens-inserts/varjo-aero